2026 ranking · historic monuments

The towns in Nouvelle-Aquitaine with the most historic monuments

Q: Which town in Nouvelle-Aquitaine has the most historic monuments?

Bordeaux (Gironde) has the most historic monuments in Nouvelle-Aquitaine: 385 monuments.

Bordeaux (Gironde) has the most historic monuments in Nouvelle-Aquitaine: 385 monuments. Next come La Rochelle (Charente-Maritime, 294 monuments) and Poitiers (Vienne, 85 monuments).

2,448 towns ranked out of 4,293

Bordeaux, 1^stThe next 19

The podium

Photos: © Remi Jouan, CC BY-SA 3.0

This ranking covers 2,448 of the 4,293 towns in Nouvelle-Aquitaine. Not ranked: towns with no historic monument. The table is split into pages of 100 towns. At the other end of the ranking, Brousse (Creuse) comes last with 1 monument.

In France, a commune is the smallest unit of local government, from large cities to tiny villages. Paris, Lyon and Marseille are ranked as whole communes: their arrondissements (districts) have no rank of their own.

The ranking: most historic monuments in Nouvelle-Aquitaine

Rank	Town	Department	Historic monuments	Population
1	Bordeaux	Gironde (33)	385	271,552
2	La Rochelle	Charente-Maritime (17)	294	81,843
3	Poitiers	Vienne (86)	85	92,187
4	Sarlat-la-Canéda	Dordogne (24)	74	9,099
5	Limoges	Haute-Vienne (87)	66	131,817
6	Île-d'Aix	Charente-Maritime (17)	59	188
7	Pessac	Gironde (33)	53	68,102
8	Périgueux	Dordogne (24)	45	30,496
9	Angoulême	Charente (16)	38	43,454
10	Agen	Lot-et-Garonne (47)	34	33,656
11 tied	Les Eyzies	Dordogne (24)	30	1,151
11 tied	Monpazier	Dordogne (24)	30	447
13 tied	Niort	Deux-Sèvres (79)	27	61,675
13 tied	Collonges-la-Rouge	Corrèze (19)	27	493
15	Saintes	Charente-Maritime (17)	26	26,773
16	Bayonne	Pyrénées-Atlantiques (64)	25	55,590
17	Saint-Émilion	Gironde (33)	23	1,654
18 tied	Brive-la-Gaillarde	Corrèze (19)	20	48,330
18 tied	Cognac	Charente (16)	20	18,984
18 tied	Thouars	Deux-Sèvres (79)	20	14,178
18 tied	Brantôme en Périgord	Dordogne (24)	20	3,835
18 tied	Mareuil en Périgord	Dordogne (24)	20	2,367
23 tied	Rochefort	Charente-Maritime (17)	19	24,081
23 tied	Tulle	Corrèze (19)	19	14,017
23 tied	Parthenay	Deux-Sèvres (79)	19	10,555
23 tied	Beaumontois en Périgord	Dordogne (24)	19	1,769
27 tied	Nérac	Lot-et-Garonne (47)	18	7,377
27 tied	Confolens	Charente (16)	18	2,855
29	Beaulieu-sur-Dordogne	Corrèze (19)	17	1,326
30 tied	Pau	Pyrénées-Atlantiques (64)	16	81,891
30 tied	Châtellerault	Vienne (86)	16	31,656
30 tied	Villeneuve-sur-Lot	Lot-et-Garonne (47)	16	23,095
30 tied	Loudun	Vienne (86)	16	7,113
34	Saint-Léonard-de-Noblat	Haute-Vienne (87)	14	4,480
35 tied	Montignac-Lascaux	Dordogne (24)	13	2,812
35 tied	Saint-Macaire	Gironde (33)	13	2,087
35 tied	Domme	Dordogne (24)	13	934
38 tied	Mont-de-Marsan	Landes (40)	12	32,981
38 tied	Biarritz	Pyrénées-Atlantiques (64)	12	26,879
38 tied	Royan	Charente-Maritime (17)	12	19,985
38 tied	Ciboure	Pyrénées-Atlantiques (64)	12	6,077
38 tied	Saint-Martin-la-Pallu	Vienne (86)	12	5,798
38 tied	Aubusson	Creuse (23)	12	3,162
38 tied	Felletin	Creuse (23)	12	1,740
38 tied	Tursac	Dordogne (24)	12	349
46 tied	Libourne	Gironde (33)	11	25,591
46 tied	Montmorillon	Vienne (86)	11	6,217
46 tied	Melle	Deux-Sèvres (79)	11	6,021
49 tied	Dax	Landes (40)	10	22,972
49 tied	Orthez	Pyrénées-Atlantiques (64)	10	11,531
49 tied	Mauléon	Deux-Sèvres (79)	10	8,855
49 tied	Lège-Cap-Ferret	Gironde (33)	10	8,041
49 tied	Saint-Jean-d'Angély	Charente-Maritime (17)	10	7,218
49 tied	Pons	Charente-Maritime (17)	10	4,624
49 tied	La Réole	Gironde (33)	10	4,577
49 tied	Uzerche	Corrèze (19)	10	2,871
57 tied	Bergerac	Dordogne (24)	9	27,863
57 tied	Saint-Jean-de-Luz	Pyrénées-Atlantiques (64)	9	15,268
57 tied	Saint-Pée-sur-Nivelle	Pyrénées-Atlantiques (64)	9	7,459
57 tied	Chauvigny	Vienne (86)	9	7,166
57 tied	Marennes-Hiers-Brouage	Charente-Maritime (17)	9	6,264
57 tied	Salies-de-Béarn	Pyrénées-Atlantiques (64)	9	4,861
57 tied	Sare	Pyrénées-Atlantiques (64)	9	2,803
57 tied	Treignac	Corrèze (19)	9	1,338
57 tied	Pays de Belvès	Dordogne (24)	9	1,337
57 tied	Gentioux-Pigerolles	Creuse (23)	9	410
67 tied	Bressuire	Deux-Sèvres (79)	8	21,034
67 tied	Saint-Junien	Haute-Vienne (87)	8	11,677
67 tied	Oloron-Sainte-Marie	Pyrénées-Atlantiques (64)	8	11,279
67 tied	Urrugne	Pyrénées-Atlantiques (64)	8	10,851
67 tied	Ussel	Corrèze (19)	8	9,551
67 tied	Jaunay-Marigny	Vienne (86)	8	7,784
67 tied	Saint-Astier	Dordogne (24)	8	5,476
67 tied	Bazas	Gironde (33)	8	5,147
67 tied	Argentonnay	Deux-Sèvres (79)	8	3,318
67 tied	Clairac	Lot-et-Garonne (47)	8	2,794
67 tied	Saint-Martin-de-Ré	Charente-Maritime (17)	8	2,379
67 tied	Le Buisson-de-Cadouin	Dordogne (24)	8	2,005
67 tied	Saint-Jean-le-Vieux	Pyrénées-Atlantiques (64)	8	914
67 tied	Saint-Léon-sur-Vézère	Dordogne (24)	8	441
81 tied	Mérignac	Gironde (33)	7	78,946
81 tied	Hendaye	Pyrénées-Atlantiques (64)	7	18,506
81 tied	Saint-Yrieix-la-Perche	Haute-Vienne (87)	7	7,164
81 tied	Terrasson-Lavilledieu	Dordogne (24)	7	6,321
81 tied	La Souterraine	Creuse (23)	7	5,176
81 tied	Aiguillon	Lot-et-Garonne (47)	7	4,083
81 tied	Val-de-Cognac	Charente (16)	7	3,580
81 tied	Valdivienne	Vienne (86)	7	2,776
81 tied	Mouthiers-sur-Boëme	Charente (16)	7	2,429
81 tied	Mirebeau	Vienne (86)	7	2,175
81 tied	Carsac-Aillac	Dordogne (24)	7	1,616
81 tied	Verdelais	Gironde (33)	7	1,065
81 tied	Payzac	Dordogne (24)	7	1,004
81 tied	Turenne	Corrèze (19)	7	820
81 tied	Bourdeilles	Dordogne (24)	7	800
81 tied	Parleboscq	Landes (40)	7	465
81 tied	Curemonte	Corrèze (19)	7	225
81 tied	Sergeac	Dordogne (24)	7	224
99 tied	Talence	Gironde (33)	6	47,340
99 tied	Arcachon	Gironde (33)	6	11,396

Source: French Ministry of Culture, Mérimée database (buildings protected as historic monuments); buildings classified or registered as historic monuments, in whole or in part. Not ranked: towns with no historic monument. Tied values share the same rank. Data sources.

FAQ

Most historic monuments in Nouvelle-Aquitaine: FAQ

Which town in Nouvelle-Aquitaine has the most historic monuments?

Bordeaux (Gironde) has the most historic monuments in Nouvelle-Aquitaine: 385 monuments.

What are the 10 towns in Nouvelle-Aquitaine with the most historic monuments?

In order: Bordeaux (385 monuments), La Rochelle (294 monuments), Poitiers (85 monuments), Sarlat-la-Canéda (74 monuments), Limoges (66 monuments), Île-d'Aix (59 monuments), Pessac (53 monuments), Périgueux (45 monuments), Angoulême (38 monuments), and Agen (34 monuments).

How many towns in Nouvelle-Aquitaine are ranked?

2,448 out of 4,293. Not ranked: towns with no historic monument.

What does this ranking count?

Each building protected as a historic monument (monument historique), whether classified or only registered, in whole or in part, counts as one, as listed in the Mérimée database of the French Ministry of Culture. A monument that spans several communes, such as an aqueduct or a city wall, counts in each of them. The total also depends on how protections were divided up: a group of buildings can count as one monument or as several.